Behind a Mask
by banapples2018
Summary: What makes one so strong so weak and powerless? The past-the part of life that haunts us all, especially one mister Soul Eater Evans. His past... Isn't as one would think. But now that Soul is older, wouldn't you think the memories of pain would fade? No, these memories won't ever fade. The depression, the sorrow, the regret-these all make up Soul's life. What can he do?
1. Just the Beginning

**_Chapter 1: Just the Beginning_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Soul Eater characters and never will. ^^ Oh and this is Post-Manga… By some years. I'm pretty sure the characters were younger than 17-18 in the manga, so in here they are around that age. _**

**_Also, I decided to change this story. It will still be on the same basis, but I'm not exactly happy with it. Because of this, I edited this chapter. I hope it's still as good. ^^' _**

**_Warning: This chapter contains self-harm so be prepared! Oh and lots of serious cussing and self-hate, be warned. NO hating please!_**

**_Thanks for reading~ ^^_**

* * *

_Darkness. Surrounding everything, never fleeting._

_Silence. Nothing is heard, nothing is said._

_Pain. What else is there to feel?_

_Grief. Regret all that you are._

_Loneliness. Always by your side._

_Death. Begins and ends all._

* * *

The room was dark, no light making its way through the thick navy blue curtains. There was no sound, no movement on the queen-sized bed. _'__You're worthless. No one wants you. Why won't you just die already? Or better yet, give your body to me. I will make your pain stop, I will give you freedom from your agony_.'

No words were produced in response, no words were needed after all. He knows, yes he knows, what he is. There's no point in denying it any longer. What **is** the point of staying alive? Living in the fear of the past? What's… The point of any of it? Soul, the one haunted by these thoughts, was laying on his stomach in bed with his head in his pillow, crying out all he could. He's not going to cry anymore after this. No more. He's done with the crying, done with the pain. No one… Wants him anyway. He's completely worthless; someone who only makes mistakes and pretends to be something they aren't. '_Dirty little faker_.' Soul didn't even blink at the voice of his Demon. That… Thing… Has been there for a while now, taunting Soul—insulting him. But the Demon isn't to blame for his predicament right now. Only he is at fault. 'I'm the one to blame… For everything. It's all my fault. I'm a bad person. I'm dumb. I'm so… Useless.' Soul shook his head in his pillow, wiping the tears on his reddened cheek away. Soul slowly opened his eyes, head still in the pillow. 'I could suffocate myself… Would that make Them happy?' Maybe it would… Maybe all this pain will finally go away. He was far too gone to care anymore, not even the knowledge that he had friends could bring Soul back from this depressed state. And even if they could, what would they say to him? They'd probably just treat him like They did. It was sad honestly… He couldn't even trust his own friends—people who he has fought beside defeating the Kishin. That only made Soul feel worse… Why couldn't he trust the friends he has known for years? He's seventeen, he should be able to rely on others by now. But how could he when all he thinks about is their responses—their disgust with his being? He's trash. A weapon that can't do anything on his own. Even the eight months he spent with the other higher ups, the people that actually know how to fight by themselves, didn't help improve his fighting, or so he thinks. Soul closed his eyes again, taking a breath. He could feel the oncoming need… The itch.

Soul made a small noise and opened his eyes once more. Everything was drifting away; the overwhelming pain being the only thing left. He pushed himself up, putting pressure on his arms to keep ahold of his body mass. He looked down at his pillow, noticing how it was drenched from his tears. Soul sighed, slowly moving upwards until he was sitting with his knees tucked underneath him. His watery eyes lowered slightly as he continued to stare into nothingness, rubbing his arm roughly. Soul wanted to feel the burn of the fabric of his jacket against his skin. Feel all the pain. Feel the torture he is putting himself through. 'I'm no better than them…'

_'Get away from me. I don't want to deal with your bullshit.'_

_'I wish I had aborted you.'_

_'You little whore. Do as you're told, drink it up. Make a sound and you'd wish I killed you instead.' _

Big, fat tears started falling relentlessly from Soul's eyes. 'A whore. That's what I am. Just a useless object that can be used by anyone…' The rubbing increased in speed, nails digging into the jacket. 'I can't even keep my promise about not crying anymore...' Soul let out a sob. He was such a worthless being. It's a wonder why so many people like him, _'__Or so they claim.'_ Soul raised his hands to his eyes, looking at them through his tears. These hands… belong to a monster. Covering his face with said limbs, Soul cried even harder than before. Every intake of breath hurt, and it didn't help he was sobbing uncontrollably now. _'__What ever happened to suffering in silence Soul-kun~? I guess it sort of withered away, huh? Just like that of you~' _Soul opened his eyes slightly, face still in his hands._ '__It's sickening honestly. Can't keep a single promise~' _More tears swelled up in his eyes, threatening to fall like the rest had_. 'If I were you, I would think just ending it all would make life so much more… What's the word? Ah… __**Bearable **__for everyone.' _Soul breath hitched, his eyes widening. Tears clouded his vision as they fell full force down his cheeks._ '__And you know its true Soul-kun~ They all look at you with disgust! See for yourself! No one actually wants to be with you~ Oh how happy They'll all be upon the knowledge that the whorish demon is dead! And by his own hand! They'll be so proud! Or shall I say __**He'll **__be so proud~?' _Soul tucked his head between his knees, his hands grasping his hair as his eyes widen in fear._ '__Oh is that the trigger word now? __**Him**__.' _The demon smirked,_ '__Are you prepared my dear Soul-kun? For what is to come? The torture I will be putting you through? But atlas! For now, just go on and harm that so called… Body… Of yours.' _The Demon sneered as he left Soul to his own thoughts for once.

Soul's body swayed back and forth slightly as he kept his head in-between his knees. He yanked a hand upwards, pulling his hair. The force he used brought more tears to his eyes, but he continues anyway. His head was starting to feel fuzzy. He felt… Nothing. Well nothing other than this unbearable pain—the regret of being born, of living. All the emotions running through his head; the terror, the sorrow, the loneliness—all of it—is becoming overwhelming.

Soul let his eyes droop some more as he slowly slide off his bed and shuffled over to his bedroom door. He reached a shaky hand out as the other clutched his pant leg and touched the door knob, yanking the limb back to him once he felt the coolness of the metal. But he reached out again anyhow and opened the door. He walked straight to the bathroom. He knew Maka wouldn't be back from the store for a little while longer—just enough time for him to rid himself of these feelings.

Soul walked inside the bathroom and shut the door. He sat on the toilet and let his hand roam behind it until he found what he was looking for.

His razor. (1)

Soul slid his sweat pants down slightly, revealing his creamy colored skin. He stared at the object in his hand, examining the way the light glinted off the metal. It felt like forever before Soul was able to tear his gaze away from the item. He took a shaky breath, tears brimming around his eyes again as he lowered the razor to the top of his thigh. He put pressure on the razor, staring intently as the blood began to ooze out of him.

It stung. It hurt.

However, not as much as his emotional pain. For some reason, he never understood this actually, but the physical pain he inflicted on himself took a little of the over bearing emotional pain away—eased it out of his system. Soul closed his eyes, absorbing the pain he felt and could feel himself release a breath he didn't know he was holding. He felt blood slowly moving down his leg, probably dripping onto the floor soundlessly. He felt… Calm. A weird word to describe the activities he is participating in right now, but true nonetheless.

'_Hue hue. Mister Soul is a pain-loving freak, yes? What a monster_.' Soul's eyes snapped open as he heard the voice, taking in a sharp intake of air. '_Oh? Had Soul-kun thought I would truly leave him alone? Not for the world! Fu~ I guess the filthy whore can't think either. _The Demon laughed.

Soul couldn't take it this time. He cut one, two, three, four deep lines into his skin, feeling every little sharp prick the blade made—watched as it cut open his skin.

**He deserves it. He deserves it. He deserves it. He's a whore. Used. Dirty. Disgusting. Ugly. Fat. Stupid. Worthless. **

Soul cut three more slashes into his skin. He looked down at his leg, the sight actually being… Quite sickening, but with this sense of beauty—of accomplishment. Soul laughed hollowly as he felt tears falling from his dull orbs. "Beauty. I'm anything but that." His voice cracked and the laughter subsided to silent tears. 'At least Kid would be proud... I made eight cuts.'

He cried until he felt nothing, which probably took hours honestly. However soon enough, the tears stopped coming. Whether from dehydration or the loss of emotions, Soul did not know, but they stopped.

He sat there, staring at the wall blankly. Well that was until he heard the front door open from down stairs. Soul's eyes widened like saucers, eyes darting left to right in panic as he rushed through the bathroom supplies for the first aid kit Maka put somewhere. "Soul, I'm home! Are you in the bathroom? Hurry up! Remember, it's your turn to cook tonight!" Maka yelled from the front door of their newly bought house. It definitely wasn't as big as Kid's house, but it was still spacious.

Soul hurried and found the first aid kit and bandaged himself. Then he moved on to cleaning the blood spots on the tiled floor, getting the sponge he put behind the toilet to wash it all up before wringing it out. He rinsed off his razor and placed it back in its spot behind the toilet, making sure to tuck it under the mat. As he was exiting the bathroom, he put his jacket back on and made sure everything was in order. The room is clean; no evidence left behind.

As Soul left the bathroom completely, he took a deep breath, 'act cool', before shouting, "Yeah, I'm in the bathroom! Be down in a sec!" Soul walked down the stairs into the living room, seeing Maka in the closet putting away something. He rolled his eyes and continue to walk sluggishly to the kitchen since she was probably hungry after being out for so long. Knowing Maka, she probably didn't even eat lunch. _'You're such a hypocrite…_' Yeah, that may be true but that didn't mean that he was wrong. "Maka?" Soul called out from the kitchen as he was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. He grabbed the blue apron that was bought for him and tied it around his waist like he normally does.

"What?" Maka answered back as she made her way from the living room to the door of the kitchen. She walked over to the island in the middle of the room and sat on one of the seats, looking at Soul's back expectantly. At the sound of Maka taking a seat behind him, he began to talk once more.

"What would you like for dinner?" Soul asked. It's not like he was actually going to eat any of it anyway… Soul waited for an answer and upon not receiving one, he turned around and leaned against the counter behind him. "What's taking you so lo-? Where did you go?!"

"Out here!" Maka shouted from the living room. She came running into the kitchen, receiving a sweat drop from Soul. "What?"

Soul sighed, "Never mind… So what do you want for dinner?" Soul asked once again. By now he was facing the cabinets, getting ready to grab the ingredients for what Maka wanted to eat. Maka gave him a confused look before a look of realization made its way across her face. Soul turned back around to observe Maka with a perplexed look. "You gonna answer?"

"Oh! About that… Umm, see…" She gave him a nervous glance, for what, Soul hadn't a clue. "I have a date tonight with this really sweet guy," Maka walked around the island over to Soul, "so you're going to have to cook dinner for yourself. I'm sooo sorry! I should have said something earlier, but it kind of slipped my mind, you know?" Maka scratched the back of her neck, giving Soul an awkward smile. 'Oh, well that makes sense…'

"Don't worry about it!" Soul made a swishing gesture with his hands, letting Maka know that it was truly fine. Although it did hurt him that she hadn't bothered to tell him that she was dating men now. He stood up straight and walked over to the fridge to 'look' for food. Maka, noticing the time, gasped.

"He'll be here any minute! I need to hurry and get ready!" Maka exclaimed as she literally ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs and into her room, which she slammed shut in her haste. Soul rolled his eyes, 'when will she ever learn?' He smiled to himself, 'never, of course.' Shaking his head with a smile, Soul closed the fridge door and walked out to the living room to watch some T.V.

* * *

"Hey, Soul?" Maka called while walking down the stairs that lead to the front door and the beginning of the living room. She stumbled over to him, 'damn these heels!' Maka thought with distaste. "Hey, Soul? You awake?" As she made her way closer to him, slowly at that, she noticed that he was, in fact, asleep. She sighed, what was she going to do with him? "Hey, Soul? You're going to get sick if you sleep out here dummy." When she didn't receive a response, she decided to shake him awake. After a couple of hard, yet somewhat gentle, shoves, Soul finally woke up.

"Wha-?" Soul blinked up at her like an owl. He began rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and groaned. "Shouldn't you be on your date by now?" Soul shifted from his position on the couch to sit up. Once he was sitting, he stretched at far as his body would let him. When a loud pop was heard, which Maka grimaced at, Soul sighed, satisfied with the relief of tension in his shoulder.

"No, he said that he'll be here a little late." Maka looked a little irritated, "lots of traffic I guess… But enough of that. You still haven't eaten yet, now have you?" Maka's right foot started to tap the floor lightly, showing how aggravated she was. She was beginning to wonder if Soul ever ate because it certainly didn't seem like it. Soul just looked at her blankly.

"Okay?"

"Ugh… Just eat something before I leave please. You're getting way too skinny." Maka took ahold of one of Soul's hands and commenced with dragging him to the kitchen for a meal. She shoved him into one of the island seats and set off cooking some soup. "I hope you like chicken noodle soup Soul!" Maka chirped in delight.

"Please stop, you're way too happy."

"Oh shush. Just a little longer and it'll be done!" Maka swayed as she cooked the meal for her partner. Steam arose from the pot holding the now hot soup. Maka smelled the soup and exclaimed loudly how Soul would enjoy it; it was, after all, the soup that Soul enjoyed the most. Well, that's what she thought at least.

"Yay…" Soul exclaimed weakly, looking paler than usual. 'This isn't gonna go well…' Maka placed a bowl of the soup in front of Soul's nose, hoping to entice him to eat. As she sat it down, the bell rang.

"I think that's him!" Maka said before shouting, "Be there in a second!" towards the door. She swirled around back to Soul. "So… How do I look?" Soul examined her, eyes roaming her petite frame. She was wearing a light green dress with white frills around the edges, a dress that Liz and Tsubaki bought for her about a week ago. The color itself made Maka's eyes pop, especially with the light amount of make-up she was wearing. Her hair, no longer in its usual pigtails, was cured at the ends and wavy near her roots. Over all, she looked utterly beautiful.

"Gorgeous, now don't keep the lucky man waiting." Soul jumped out of his seat and drove Maka through the kitchen, through the dining room and living room, to the front door.

"Calm down, would you?! Death, you're way too excited for me to leave than I thought you would be…" Maka nonetheless smiled at her weapon. She sighed, raising her hands in defeat, a smile ghosting on her lips. "Fine, fine. You're getting your way for once! I'll get out of your hair." Maka turned her head towards her partner once her hand was on the doorknob, "Remember to eat, okay? It's not heal-"

"Yeah, yeah... I know, not healthy." Soul said with a roll of his eyes. "Now leave before the guy leaves ya for dirt." Maka huffed, but didn't comment.

"Bye!"

"Bye." Soul waved as she walked out the door into the capable hands of the man in front of him. "You better be good to her!" Soul yelled at the two as they reached the guy's car. Maka waved for the last time before the two sped off to their date. Soul took a deep breath as he closed the door, 'Death is she growing up quick. To think she was once Miss. Little Tiny Tits…' Soul smiled to himself at the memory of her getting pissed off whenever he would call her that hated nickname. Soul sighed, the smile leaving his face. It may sound cliché, but he missed the old days…

Soul walked to the kitchen, taking in the fact that he probably wasn't going to eat the soup Maka made for him. How could he? There are plenty of other people who needed food more than a worthless being like him. Soul shook the thought out of his head, deciding to clean out the bowl, wash it and then put away the rest of the soup that was made. As he finished washing the dish and putting away his 'meal,' Soul felt exhausted. 'Must have been from earlier…' He walked out of the kitchen, through the dining room and living room, and hiked up the stairs to where his room was. He strode down the hallway and turned right, opening his door. He stumbled over to his bed, too tired and lazy to walk properly. Once he was in bed, he pulled the covers up to his chin and drifted off into the deep, dark abyss that was his mind.

* * *

_'P-Please stop!' __**SLAM**__!_

_'Now why would I do that?' The man laughed._

_'Please s-stop! P-Please!' The boy began to cry and whimper, 'p-please! I-It hurts!'_

_More laughter was heard. 'Like I would care. 's not like you'll be able to stop me anyway…' The man thrusted forward._

_'Please-!'_

* * *

**_*Author Notes*_**

**_(1) Soul decided to cut himself with a razor rather than using his weapon powers. The one time he used his weapon powers it actually put him in a lot more pain than what he was expecting. He only did this once. _**

**_Thanks for reading, I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter! To let everyone know, I took inspiration from the story Sharp Secrets, so my story so far may be similar. But don't worry, I'm not copying that wonderful fan fiction and calling it my own. My plot is quite different from the fan fiction and I'm going to keep it that way. Thanks again~ ^^_**


	2. A Sleepless Night

**_Chapter 2: A Sleepless Night_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing, especially all the wonderful Soul Eater characters. _**

**_Warning: There is changes, just as I made in the first chapter. There is also cussing and a slight rape scene (it isn't too descriptive, but if you feel uncomfortable reading it, you can skip it if ya want). _**

**_Enjoy~ ^^_**

* * *

_'__So you think you can get away from this?' _

_The little boy whimpered, 'N-No…'_

_'__Good, cause you can't.' The man laughed as he forced the boy down and pinned his hands above his head. 'How about we play the quiet game?' The boy's eyes widen in fear as the man leaned closer and whispered in his ear, 'My dear Soul-kun~'_

* * *

Soul startled awake, his breathing uneven. He scanned the room, making sure that he was alone. Finding that he was, Soul took a deep breath to help calm down. He grabbed a hand full of the comforter and sheets, gripping them until his knuckles were white. He breathing still hadn't evened out, but only became more sporadic. 'Calm down… It was only a nightmare.' That's all Soul has to remember. It was all a nightmare; one that has been ever reoccurring since the age of six.

After a couple more deep breaths, Soul had finally calmed down a little. But that's when he noticed that there was some sort of liquid on his arms. He looked down, afraid of what he may find. His right arm was covered in scratches that Soul must have made in his sleep. Soul felt around on the nightstand beside him, looking for something to clean up all the blood on his arm. Finding something suitable, which just so happened to be a black t-shirt, Soul wiped away all the blood, turning on the light to get a better look at the condition of his arm.

Soul just stared at his arm after he switched the light on. Blood was everywhere, not just on his arm or clothes like he thought, but all over his bed. Soul felt tears prickle at his eyes and for what felt like hours (which in reality was only seconds), Soul stared at the mess he had created; a mess he may never be able to clean up. Yeah, he can clean up the sheets and comforter, well at least most of the way, but he could never clean up the mess he's become. Soul hiccupped, 'thinking like this wasn't going to change anything.' Soul wiped away the tears in his eyes, after all he didn't want Maka coming in seeing him in this state. Death, not after what happened last time when she saw him 'cry'. Soul shuddered. Never again…

_"Soul? You home?" Maka called as she walked through the front door and sat the groceries on the floor. "I bought some food for dinner! I hope you like tacos!" Maka looked around for her lazy partner. "Soul? Hello?" She walked over to the kitchen after looking upstairs with no response from her weapon. "Wow… Not in the mood for answering, huh?" Maka muttered to herself._

_She opened the kitchen door to the sight of her partner, what she didn't expect, however, was the fact that he was crying. "Soul? Oh my death! Are you okay? What happened?" Soul turned around quickly, only to be shook by Maka fiercely, "Tell me now!" Soul gave her a blank stare._

_"What?" Soul said, confused about what the meister was talking about. Maka sighed, not in the mood for playing. Her partner was always there for her when she was crying, whether it was because of her family or her being moody. Maka wanted to be able to support her friend for once, not the other way around. _

_"You. Crying. Why?" Maka questioned, letting her hands slip off Soul's slim shoulders ('has he lost weight?) as she got over the initial shock of him crying. Soul just gave her another one of his infamous blank stares before realization hit him like a brick. He made an 'O' shape with his mouth before he blushed bright red. _

_"Oh! I-I didn't realize— Um…" Soul scratched the back of his neck and looked away from his partner. His hands fell to his side after a couple seconds, but that didn't last too long before his fingers started to fiddle with each other. "So… Yeah."_

_Maka sighed, "You know you could tell me what was making you cry, right?" _

_"Do you really want to know?"_

_"Yes, of course I do!"_

_"Well…"_

_"Go on." Maka urged. She wanted to finally be able to gain access to that brain of Soul's that she has been oh so denied from. She moved closer to Soul, yearning to hear every word fall off his lips. She got closer and closer and clos— _

_"Onions."_

_"Excuse me?" Maka questioned, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. 'Well I definitely didn't expect that answer…'_

_"I was cutting onions."_

_"Why?"_

_"What? Is there something wrong with eating onions when I feel like it? Death, when did the world turn into such a judgmental place?" Soul turned his head away from his partner. She was just so overwhelming sometimes._

'She must have felt so stupid…' Soul thought to himself. He pushed the bed covers the rest of the way off and scooted himself over to the edge. Putting some water on the black shirt from the water bottle on his night stand, he wiped the remaining blood from his arm. He let his sock-covered feet dangle before placing them softly on the ground, turning around to scoop up the bloody sheets and comforter. Soul pushed himself off the bed and padded over to the door, hands full. He walked, more like waddled, down the stairs. Soul continued his path down the stairs, into the kitchen, into the den and finally into the washing room. He shoved everything in his hands in the washer to be cleaned, sticking extra soap/Oxy-clean in the machine before starting it up, leaving after he finished.

Soul picked up the black shirt he had used before, throwing the material into the waste basket next to his desk. Turning around, he scanned his bed, 'Well I don't think I'll be able to sleep now that all my blankets are in the wash.'

_'Like that would honestly stop you from going back to sleep.'_ Soul's eyes lowered, turning the light off before making his way to the big windowsill in his room. He sat down on the ledge, bringing his knees to his chest. This was the only place he actually felt safe. A place he could go to whenever he felt the need to think or be by himself.

The demon in his head laughed, _'Not when I'm in your head. You can never run from me Soul-kun~ Ever.' _Said teenager didn't answer, only ignored the demon and gazed out on Death City. _'Ignoring me. Tch. You little brat.'_

"You deserved to be ignored." Soul let his eyes wonder the outside world.

The demon laughed like a hyena, _'Oh my boy~ Isn't that you? Shouldn't you be the one ignored? Hated? No, not me but you.' _The Demon smirked,_ '__Or had you thought… That maybe you aren't as hated because you have friends? Let me tell you this: They hate you, always have and they always will. I mean look at you! You're such a disappointment, it's no wonder' _Soul's eyebrows knitted together,_ '__they didn't want you~' _And like that, Soul's mind was shot back into the past. A time and place he never wanted to go back to…

* * *

_He was so young, maybe two or three, when he was told to learn the piano… _

"Soul… Maybe playing the violin like your brother isn't the best idea." Soul's mother, Linda Evans, took away the violin from his small, little hands. "I don't think it's your instrument." Soul, being only a child, looked at her in confusion. Why wouldn't he be able to play the violin? Wasn't there allowed to be two people who played the violin in their family?

Linda led her son to the opposite section of the music store where all the pianos were. Linda bent down with her hands on her knees so that she was at eye level with her son, "How about you try playing the piano? We've never had a pianist in our family." Soul only nodded, not really understanding what she was saying. After all, he was only 2 and a half.

Linda grabbed her son's hand and guided him to the big grand piano in the corner. The instrument seemed to glow, shining with the radiance of power and pureness. The keys, white as can be, looked to have never been touched. She lifted Soul up and sat him on the piano bench. "Do you like it? How about you try playing a note, hmm?" Soul slightly nodded, turning towards the piano fully. The manager, who was supposed to be keeping an eye on the grand piano, noticed the pair and walked over to them fuming.

"What the hell are you two doing?! Would you ge-" The manger's words caught in his throat as he recognized them. The man took off his hat and put it to his heart, bowing. "I-I'm sorry Mrs. Evans. I-I hadn't recognized you and your son." Linda only shushed him, to which he stood. "H-has he taken any lessons?" Linda shook her head, retuning her full attention to the little boy on the piano bench. She motioned for Soul to continue.

Soul played a note, hoping to please his mother but she only nodded for him to keep going. Soul played another note, right next to the first. Then another and another and another. Soon he played all the notes from what seemed to be the middle of the piano to the highest key, skipping all the black ones.

Soul turned his head to his mother, hoping to be finished but she yet again only nodded for him to keep going. Soul huffed a little, placing his hands to where he first started. He played his first note again and played seven more notes then went back down the scale. Hearing the way the notes seemed to fit together, Soul started on the second note he played. From there he tried the same thing he did before, playing seven notes after it and back. Although this time it didn't seem to fit. Soul scrunched up his nose, trying to figure out why it didn't sound as good as the first time he did it. Deciding that he did nothing wrong, Soul began to play the scale again but with a black key this time. He started on the first note of the sequence, played the second and then skipped the white key and played the black one instead. Soul's eyes widen when he realized that it sounded way better with the black key, so he continued and once he reached another section that didn't sound right, Soul skipped the white key and played the black one. He didn't exactly understand why it sounded better with the different colored key, but he did know that it was apparently what his mother was looking for when she clapped her hands in amazement.

"He's a prodigy! How amazing! Your father will be so proud!" Linda flipped her long white hair over her shoulders, removing her bangs from her face. She wore a black dress that barely covered mid-thigh and shiny black heels, so when she bent down to pick up her son, the manager couldn't help but stare as her breasts pressed against her form fitting dress and how said clothing article hiked up her on thighs. Linda stood back up with her son in her arms, "So how much is the grand piano? Price doesn't matter."

The manager looked up from her chest to her eyes to answer. This did not go unnoticed by Soul. "U-um, I-I'm sorry but it isn't for sale…" The manager's words faded and he blushed as Linda bent down to pick up a piece of paper that had fallen to the floor sometime earlier, her breasts on display again. That caught the manager's attention, "B-But I can try pulling a few strings?" Linda stood up, paper forgotten on the floor.

"Great!" She started taking money out of her purse, "how much is it?" She was handing him the money, but he only shied away from it, hands in front of him.

"I-I have to check first. I'm not sure whether my boss will sell it or not."

Linda hummed to herself, "How about you come to the back with me and we'll figure out the right price?" The manager looked reluctant, but Linda put down Soul, putting a pacifier in his mouth and dragged the manager to the back room. Soul regarded them for a second before walking back to the grand piano and examining it.

By the end of the day, Soul had gotten a black grand piano and a pat on the head from his father. Little did he know that his life was about to take a drastic turn for the worst in a few short years…

_When Soul had turned six, his parents started treating him differently..._

They no longer kissed him goodnight, but only regarded him coldly. They wouldn't even look him in the face anymore. Being only six, Soul didn't understand. He was confused, lost and only had his big brother to hold his hand, whom he hadn't seen in at least a month. Mother and father said that they sent him to this camp for musical kids and that he wouldn't be back for about another month… But something didn't feel right. Why wasn't he sent along with his older brother? Wasn't he musically gifted as well?

The two weeks before Wes was due back, their uncle, Uncle Bobby, decided to stay with the Evans family for a little awhile. Nothing really changed around the house. Well other than the fact that Soul was banished to his room. He wasn't allowed to eat with everyone else and he certainly wasn't able to go outside of his room for any reason. Knowing this, Soul's uncle always found time to join him and play games. Soul, still young, would only be wearing a big white button-up shirt and some kind of undergarment. Uncle Bobby would hug him whenever he came by and visited his room. Soul began to enjoy his company and hated when Bobby had to leave, but in just one evening, all trust Soul had for the man and for people was shattered.

Sitting on the windowsill in his room, Soul looked out at the world below him; watching kids play, laugh and overall have a good time while he was locked away in his room. Soul's eyes wandered around seeing white stuff on the ground. Of course he heard about the stuff, but forgot what it was called. 'Maybe Wes said something about it… What did he call it? Clouds? Frozen rain? Fluff? No… Snow? Snow… SNOW! That's what it's called! Snow!' Soul leaned further into the window, hands pressed against it and eyes glazed over in excitement. 'Snow is so pretty!' Just then a kid that lived down the street threw a snowball at Soul's window and all the children began to laugh when Soul, who was shocked, fell backwards on the floor. Soul jumped up quickly to his feet and ran back over to the window, grinning happily for he thought that maybe he made some friends… Only to see that all the kids had left his line of site.

Soul's smile disappeared as he started looking out the window and watching snow fall again. 'Maybe Christmas will come early this year…' Soul's eyes widened in glee, 'Maybe my parents will love me again on Christmas!' Soul jumped off the windowsill and ran over to his bed and bent down to crawl under the bed frame. After a couple minutes of searching, Soul came out from under his bed victorious. In his small hands was a packaged present box that was messily wrapped. Soul smiled at the little box, 'I wonder if they'll like it…'

_Knock. Knock._

Soul shoved the box back underneath his bed and scurried over to the windowsill again. Just as Soul was taking a seat, Uncle Bobby burst through the door. Soul jumped off the windowsill again and greeted him with a hug. Bobby knelt down so he could hug Soul back properly, placing his chin of the small boy's head. "Hey, Soul? Would you mind doin' your uncle a small favor?" Soul noticed that his words were slightly slurred but nodded his head energetically anyway. His uncle smiled, "Good." Uncle Bobby stood up and took Soul by the hand, leading him away from the door as Bobby closed it.

Soul stared at his uncle in wonder as he was forced to sit down in front of his bed. Bobby strode clumsily over to the window, closing the curtains before walking his way back to Soul. "What I'ma 'bout to do may hurt, but ya can't make any noise okay?" Bobby knelt down, looking Soul in the eyes and grabbing his shoulders. "If ya scream, I doubt your parents would mind me punishin' ya for being disobedient." Soul's eyes widen, what did his uncle plan on doing to him? Why was it going to hurt? Soul's eyes began to water as he started to panic. Bobby shushed him and placed a kiss on his forehead, his eyelid, his cheek, and then softly on his lips. Soul began to whimper, he didn't understand what was going on. He wanted to push his uncle's hands away but he wasn't strong enough.

"P-Please stop…" But Bobby only continued his ministrations, not caring whether Soul was reluctant. His uncle grabbed him forcefully by the chin and yanked upwards to meet Bobby's hungry mouth. "Ahm!"

Bobby pulled back slightly, tracing a finger along Soul's plump lips after being kissed roughly and wiped away his tears. "I hope ya know that I would do anythin' for ya," Bobby whispered, "but that's only if ya obey me. Do ya understand?" Soul nodded his head, his body trembling. Uncle Bobby began to nuzzle Soul's hair, moving his finger down Soul's shoulder.

Soul shuddered, crying even more without making any sound. He didn't want to be punished.

Uncle Bobby's thumbs rubbed soothing circles on Soul's shoulders as he pulled back yet again, looking down at Soul with a possessive and crazy glint in his eyes. "Don't worry Soul, there's no need to be afraid— we're only goin' to have a lil' bit of fun." Bobby leaned in closer, lips barely touching Soul's. "Just you and me, now doesn't that sound terrific?" Soul only whimpered and shook his head in response. Bobby glared at him before pulling at his hair, lifting him off the ground until Soul was only able to reach it on his tippy-toes.

"Ahh!" Soul yanked at his uncle's hands, scratching and digging his nails in his skin. "L-Let go!" Bobby only smirked before flipping Soul around and slamming him face first into the dresser at the end of his bed.

Bobby laughed, "What did I tell ya? Since you're disobeyin' me, I guess it means that ya want to be punished." Bobby yanked down Soul's undergarment and hiked up his white long-sleeve shirt, leaving his butt bare. Bobby grinned like a manic as he unbuckled his pants, pulling them down to his knees since he was still kneeling. He grabbed Soul slim hips with one hand as the other bent Soul down for better access. By now, Soul was crying, nearly screaming in fear. Bobby moved the hand that was adjusting Soul's position to pick up a random cloth on the ground and shove it inside his mouth so no one would hear him. "What did I say?" Bobby tilted Soul's neck to the side and bit him. Hard. Soul shrieked as pain went up and down his spine. "Remember, I told ya to be quiet you filthy little maggot." Uncle Bobby leaned away slightly, licking the wound on Soul's neck before pulling his mouth away fully. Bobby pressed his chest flush against Soul's back and without any warning, he thrusted his shaft inside of the boy beneath him. Soul screamed bloody murder, pain tripled every time his uncle would move, but the cloth prevented the screams from being too loud. He didn't even stop for Soul to adjust to him.

"Ahh!" Soul screamed at the top of his lungs, being muffled by the cloth. He bawled his eyes out, making little fists with his hands as his uncle had his way with him. "P-Please… S-Stop…" But Bobby didn't stop, only gaining speed as he felt his climax boiling inside him. "N-No more... Hah."

"Oh, I'm nowhere near done." Soul turned his head to the side in confusion before his uncle slammed his head into the dresser. "Don' move or I do worse." Soul squeezed his eyes shut as tears fell from his eyes, the pain was unbearable. Bobby looked at his nephew's small body in victory, "This is what you get for being a whore." Soul's uncle moved in closer, pressing his mouth to his ear, "Cause we all know you like this~"

Soul hiccupped as he tried thrashing around to get out of his uncle's grasp. "Ah ha…! P-Please let g-go!" His words were broken by his crying, his tiny fists trying to grip anything that could move him away. But his uncle only drew him closer, pulling at his arms so they were constrained against his back.

Bobby laughed darkly, "Never my dear Soul-Kun~"

_What that man had done to Soul that night killed what little childhood he had left._

* * *

Everything was dark, not that Soul minded. No more memories, no more pain, no more suffering. He felt so tired… All he wanted to do was sleep. Was that what he's doing right now? Sleeping? Maybe he won't wake up… Maybe he'll stay asleep forever and be blissfully ignorant of the world around him.

_"Soul!"_

Go away. He didn't want to deal with anything anymore. It's all become too much—the demon, the nightmares, depression… All of it was just too much for Soul to handle. But no more—he wasn't going to take any more of it. He's done. He gives up.

_"Soul!"_

Why won't that voice just go away? All he wants to do right now is curl up in a ball and cry his eyes out and then hope for someone to put him out of his misery… Oh by death would they be his savior.

"Oi dumbass! Get your ass up!" Soul startled awake, looking around him and taking in his surroundings. Black Star was standing right in front of him, blocking his view of everyone else in their little gang. However, he did see Maka by the door, only in her night gown with her hair in two buns. She had her phone in one hand and she looked like she seen a ghost. 'Why are they all here?' Soul rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and looked up at Black Star who was now on his knees looking straight into Soul's eyes. "Dude, are you okay? You gave everyone a fright when you didn't wake up." Black Star jumped back up as he pushed a thumb to his chest. "Well not me of course! I'm a god after all! Hahaha!" Soul only watched as Black Star rambled on about his 'godliness' or whatever. Soul felt his eyes get heavier and heavier as seconds passed by. Maka noticed this and walked over to Black Star, putting a hand over his loud mouth. "Hey-Hmm!" Black Star glared at Maka.

Maka rolled her eyes, "Look," she pointed at Soul, "he's tired and he's still on the windowsill. So how about you be useful for once and move him to the bed?" Black glared at her one more time before sighing in defeat, but he will get revenge for being ordered around! But right now, his best buddy needed him.

Black Star stooped down and lifted Soul up. 'Has he always been this light?' Black Star heaved Soul higher and in a more comfortable position in his arms. Soul's head rolled to the side, resting on Black star's chest. He looked down at the sleeping form, "How about we take him down stairs and place him on the living room couch? I mean, he doesn't even have any blankets on his bed."

Kid, who was standing by the doorway with his two weapons, scanned the bed. "Yeah, laying him down stairs will probably be best. Besides, we can keep a better eye on him downstairs." He looked over at Maka and she nodded.

"I agree."

Black Star nodded his head slightly before walking past everyone and out the doorway. Once he had left, everyone else followed him down to the living room where he placed Soul's sleeping form on the couch. Black Star laid him down carefully, trying not to wake Soul. After he laid a blanket on him, Black Star sat on the other end of the couch. When he glanced alongside him to see if Soul was still asleep, said teenager was curled up in a ball with his hands in fists beside his head. Soul's hair was everywhere, which made it look even fluffier and soft looking, and the blanket Black Star put on him covered him head-to-toe.

Maka sat on the couch next to the one where Soul and Black Star were on, watching as Soul let out small even breaths as he fell into deep sleep. She sighed and turned to everyone, "Thanks for yours guys' help." She offered them a smile. "It really means a lot." The gang each wore an expression of gloom. It's not that they didn't appreciate the thank you or didn't want to help, but the reason for why Maka needed help in the first place put them all in a state of depression. Kid looked down at his hands, Liz closed her eyes, Tsubaki kept her own eyes downcast, Patty wasn't jumping around, and Black Star just sat there staring off into space, lost in his thoughts. Kid took a deep breath before raising his head so that he was looking at Maka again.

"Do you perhaps know what happened?" Maka shook her head, appearing to be glum at her lack of knowledge. Kid sighed, "Okay, since you can't explain that to us, how about you tell us what happened before we arrived?" Maka took a short breath, before stumbling out her words.

"Well, it was when I had to go down stairs to get a drink of water…" She took another breath to calm herself. "S-see, after drinking my cup of water, I heard the washer. I-I was confused as to why it was on so I walked over to the washing room. I walked over to the washer and opened it to see what was being washed a-and I realized that it was just Soul's blankets. That didn't really worry me, I thought that maybe he spilled some soda or juice on them but when I closed the hatch to the washer…" Maka's eyes started to water. "I realized that there was blood on my hands." She raised her hands over her eyes, her elbows resting on her knees. "I was so freaked out that I ran upstairs to go check on Soul a-and then I heard screaming and whimpering of pleas of something to stop and to let go a-and—" Maka broke off in a fit of tears.

Tsubaki touched her shoulders as Maka shook from the force of her tears. "I-I didn't know what to do…" Tsubaki's eyes also began to water at the site of her friend crying. She hugged Maka, rubbing comforting circles on her back as she forced herself to calm down. Maka needed her and her crying too wasn't going to solve anything.

"Shh… It's okay. We're here now. Look, Soul's fine. He's sleeping; he's okay." As Tsubaki comforted Maka, Black Star was still lost in his thoughts. Why did he scream? Why was he sleeping on the windowsill in the first place? It just didn't make any sense. What would make Soul freak out like that? All these questions swirled around in Black Star's head. He sighed, glancing over at Soul which turned into him staring at the sleeping form. 'What am I going to do with you?' Soul mumbled in his sleep, fisting the blanket in his hands and curling into a ball even more. Black Star smiled, shaking his head. His friend was way too cute for his own good.

Maka stopped crying and was left with hiccups and sniffling. She lifted her hands to her eyes and wiped away the extra tears. She took a deep breath. "O-Okay…" She looked over at Soul and smiled slightly. "A-At least he's sleeping okay."

Tsubaki smiled, "Yeah." She looked over at Liz and Patty, wondering why they were being so quiet, smiling even more when she saw that the younger sibling was sleeping on other's shoulder.

Liz sighed, "Now we just have to wait."

* * *

**_*Author's Note*_**

**_I'm sorry for such a big delay! I hope this chapter makes up for it! I hope you enjoyed this long awaited chapter! Oh and I combined the old second chapter with the first one so that the chapter was longer._**

**_The next chapter has been taking quite long as well… So it will be a rather… Late… Update. But I'm not giving up on this story! No way! _**

**_Thanks for reading~ ^^_**


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